Discus.com

[sfdiscus]

Hi all, discus.com had Brennan marketing some beautiful wilds. Can I do a reference check from this forum, if anyone has bought from them? THANKS.

[Second Hand Pat]

HI sfdiscus, please read this thread http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?129385-BEWARE-of-discus-com-using-our-shipment-photos-to-sell-discus-it-doesn-t-have and this thread http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?128261-discusfish-com. Note that discusfish.com is now discus.com.
Pat

[Carolina discus]

Stay Far far away...as unethical as it gets!

[sfdiscus]

Thx all

[Schatz]

Agreed, terrible seller and not a sponsor!

[captainandy]

Agreed, terrible seller and not a sponsor!

I purchased several fish from him several months ago and all did very well and look beautiful. No disease noted and are like pigs from the get go.

So what if he’s not a sponsor or if he used others non copywrited pictures. Now a days it’s very common practice in business. Just take a look at aquabid. Minor indiscretion compared to what goes on today in the world, at large anyway.

[LizStreithorst]

It's not something I would do. It is unethical. If someone steals he will cheat if he gets a chance. I'm glad you had a good experience and saved a few bucks.

[Second Hand Pat]

I purchased several fish from him several months ago and all did very well and look beautiful. No disease noted and are like pigs from the get go.

So what if he’s not a sponsor or if he used others non copywrited pictures. Now a days it’s very common practice in business. Just take a look at aquabid. Minor indiscretion compared to what goes on today in the world, at large anyway.

Did you happen to note the name on the boxes the fish arrived in Andy?
Pat

[peewee1]

I purchased several fish from him several months ago and all did very well and look beautiful. No disease noted and are like pigs from the get go.

So what if he’s not a sponsor or if he used others non copywrited pictures. Now a days it’s very common practice in business. Just take a look at aquabid. Minor indiscretion compared to what goes on today in the world, at large anyway.

To use a photo of something as a representation of that which you believe you will receive but rather ship to you something else is known as "bait and switch" which by in large is illegal, to some extent.

[Discluv]

To use a photo of something as a representation of that which you believe you will receive but rather ship to you something else is known as "bait and switch" which by in large is illegal, to some extent.

Has this vendor been prosecuted for these tactics-- "bait and switch?.

[LizStreithorst]

I imagine that it would cost too much to be worth it. He knows that. It's why he keeps doing it even after being informed.

[captainandy]

Did you happen to note the name on the boxes the fish arrived in Andy?
Pat

They came from J W in Florida

But so what. He's just a trans-shipper. Like just about everyone else.

He sold me healthy fish for a great price and was very helpful over the phone and with email exchanges. At most you can point out that he uses other peoples pictures but to brand him as unethical and sue him. Absolutely stupid IMO. Good luck with legal action. LOL

[Discluv]

I imagine that it would cost too much to be worth it. He knows that. It's why he keeps doing it even after being informed.

If the case of "bait and switch" is as solid and widespread as has been stated here, it is common that a lawyer would take case without payment until judgement is rendered.

[peewee1]

Using someone else's photos without their permission is a violation of f-e-d-e-r-a-l copyright laws. Does anyone care to mess with the U.S. (federal) government? Is it okay for us to break one law but not another?

[Second Hand Pat]

They came from J W in Florida

But so what. He's just a trans-shipper. Like just about everyone else.

He sold me healthy fish for a great price and was very helpful over the phone and with email exchanges. At most you can point out that he uses other peoples pictures but to brand him as unethical and sue him. Absolutely stupid IMO. Good luck with legal action. LOL

This what I figured Andy. However the owner discus.com is a discus broker, not a trans-shipper. When discus are sold thru discus.com Michael contacts any discus vendor who will work for him and send him the buyer's order which the discus vendor then ships to the buyer. Hopefully the buyer gets fish close to what he ordered. To the best of my knowledge the only discus vendor working with Michael is Gabe at Wattleys. Michael does not actually have any fish on his premises even thru the website claims to have 30,000 discus on site.

Here the buyer did not get the fish he ordered and it was not close enough to make him happy http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?130371-Who-is-the-quot-real-seller-quot-of-this-exact-discus.

So this guy is simply clever at building websites.
Pat

[LizStreithorst]

I'm not even going to bother following this thread anymore. As far as I'm concerned, this seller is pond scum. Anyone thinking otherwise is welcome to their own opinion.

[danotaylor]

+1
The claims on his website are blatant lies, and he steals other people's property shamelessly. Great bloke, NOT.

[Discluv]

There are numerous ways of dealing with this issue.
Why nothing has been done after all this time makes no sense to me.
Start here:
https://www.usa.gov/consumer-complaints

[Schatz]

Sorry Andy, I completely disagree with you and Michael Li, Discus.com, especially when it’s a sponsor of this site. The fact you think it’s funny is a bit concerning? With that said, I’m with team Kenny!

[captainandy]

Sorry Andy, I completely disagree with you and Michael Li, Discus.com, especially when it’s a sponsor of this site. The fact you think it’s funny is a bit concerning? With that said, I’m with team Kenny!

Turns out I disagree with myself as well. A few weeks ago wanted levamisole and he had it. Ordered other bulk medicines as well. I told him that I'd be happy to say something nice on this forum on his behalf. He then accused me of goading him and said that I started a very negative campaign against him on simply 3 years ago. I wasnt even posting 3 years ago. When I cancelled the order he took 20% restocking fee which I got back from credit card. He certainly is a jerk. Unfortunately it is not illegal to be a jerk in America

[Oxboy]

I like their blog articles a lot over at discus.com.

[peewee1]

I like their blog articles a lot over at discus.com.

Based on all else said how would one know if Discus.com was the original author of any blog posting? Appears the Kenny/Forrest photos are still being used. To use a copyright photo with out the creator's consent is a violation of civil law. Al and I have a mutual friend whose photo was used with out his permission. Once prosecuted the penalty was $2,000 per use, in that instance. I stopped counting at 200 separate copyright violations which could mean that if Kenny ever got serious about the infringement and at $2,000 per that could amount to a $400,000 payday and Discus.com out of business?

[Willie]

Infringers usually operate with impunity because

1) the cost of litigation is significant and the process will take longer than a year during which time the infringer can continue without further jeopardy,
2) even if they're found guilty, juries very seldom agree to large penalties in cases that do not involve human suffering,
3) even if a financial penalty is awarded, collecting the funds typically involves a separate legal proceeding, and
4) the defendant can declare bankruptcy to avoid payment. If they set up the business as an LLC, then bankruptcy would only cover the business, not themselves.

Large companies have in-house legal staff to pursue civil cases, so much lower levels of additional spending are required. For small companies and individuals, using an outside firm almost always ensure a further loss. Sad to say, that's reality.

[peewee1]

Diccus.com because they hijack others photos for use on their website is not only defrauding potential customers but infringing on copyright laws. Are the fish that they sell that much better than fish sold by anyone else where someone would be compelled to buy from them? You will see the parallel between Discus.com and the term "horse trading" as explained in the following definition.

Horse trading, in its literal sense, is the buying and selling of horses, also called "horse dealing.” Due to the difficulties in evaluating the merits of a horse offered for sale, the sale of horses offered great opportunities for dishonesty, leading to use of the term horse trading (or horsetrading) to refer to complex bargaining or other transactions, such as political vote trading. It was expected that horse sellers would capitalize on these opportunities and so those who dealt in horses gained a reputation for underhanded business practices.

[LizStreithorst]

Hey guys, lets lay off the political stuff. It only leads to bad feelings. Mama bear is being nice.

[Second Hand Pat]

Hey guys, lets lay off the political stuff. It only leads to bad feelings. Mama bear is being nice.

Hey guys, like Mama bear requests, take the politics to pm.
Pat

[Dicsus34]

I know this is an old thread but I also wanted to add that I ordered from discus.com and got some unreal wilds from him. His communication was instant and I saved a lot of money. The wilds I got were extremely nice. Ya I get he uses peoples pics and these aren’t his own fish but he still provided some really really nice fish

[Iminit]

Yes but why take the chance. It’s like playing Russian roulette. Yeah you may get something good or you might get nothing but aggravation. Who needs it? Enough reliable sellers sponsored here.

[Second Hand Pat]

I know this is an old thread but I also wanted to add that I ordered from discus.com and got some unreal wilds from him. His communication was instant and I saved a lot of money. The wilds I got were extremely nice. Ya I get he uses peoples pics and these aren’t his own fish but he still provided some really really nice fish

Hi, good to hear you were one of the lucky ones who had a positive experience. Who's name was on the shipping boxes?
Pat

[Iminit]

Lol that’s the whole truth! This guys got a store front. That’s it! No breeding no holding tanks just a name and a store front. If you want to deal with a middle man who has no clue what he’s selling. He’s your man!

[jwcarlson]

I ordered levamisole from him. I eventually got it (drop shipped from Myrtle Beach Discus)... and then I got another shipment of levamisole from him like a week or two later. So I guess I got what I ordered, but it took freaking forever to get. And then when I wrote a review saying as much, of course it wasn't published. Glad I didn't order discus from him.

[LizStreithorst]

You found out the easy way, Jacob.