TnMark
02-06-2003, 01:05 AM
Let me start off by saying I really want to know the answers to these questions. If the tone sounds snippy, that is absolutely not my intention and I apologize in advance. Politically correct writing tone is not my strong point.
When I buy Discus (I am in the process of my first order now), my expectation is that what I receive will be the types I ordered, they will be alive and they will be healthy. If they are not alive, the buyer could not possibly be at fault, so the fish should be replaced by the seller. If it was the shippers fault, the buyer and shipper need to work out the problem. Healthy is a relative term that means if the fish come and are infected, or sick that the seller will work with the buyer to make them well and if they die the seller will replace them. The buyers responsibilty is to notify the seller immediately upon receipt of the sick fish, to follow all of the sellers instructions to make the fish well and to do all required maintenance (water changes and cleaning) the fish require. The seller is not responsible for the fish if they arrived healthy. I realize this is simplistic.
From what I read, some people selling fish don't seem to want the responsibility of replacing sick or dead fish, even if the problem was not clearly caused by the buyer. Statements are made to the effect, they only paid $30, what do buyers expect. If I spend $200 to $300 (8 fish plus shipping) on anything I expect it to be of good quality unless I am told otherwise prior to the sale. I expect this even if I'm getting a great price. If a seller wants to sell lower quality fish or sick fish at a discount, that fact should be clearly stated prior to the sale so there are no misunderstandings. An emailed bill of sale prior to the sale with the conditions of sale could be a good business practice to protect buyers and sellers and settle disputes at a later date. A seller saying that the buyer should have known the fish weren't great just because the price was cheap, in my opinion, is not a valid argument.
Regarding pictures
My goal is a nice selection of different color Discus for my show tank. I don't care for some of the specific strains of solid color or striated Discus. Because of the inconsitency in naming Discus, without a picture, for example, I don't know if what a seller is calling a spotted leopard is really what I want. That being said, I don't expect a picture of the actual fish I am getting. I want a representative picture of the type and color of fish you are sending. I realize most of the fish are younger and don't have their full color and the actual fish might not turn out as you expected. I expect a best guess of what you expect the Discus to be. The pictures will show me that we are on the same page as to both of our expectations for the fish.
My question is are my expectations unreasonable? If so, what do sellers expect from buyers?
Thank you. I think that when both sides spell out their expectations, it avoids misunderstandings.
Mark Neigut
When I buy Discus (I am in the process of my first order now), my expectation is that what I receive will be the types I ordered, they will be alive and they will be healthy. If they are not alive, the buyer could not possibly be at fault, so the fish should be replaced by the seller. If it was the shippers fault, the buyer and shipper need to work out the problem. Healthy is a relative term that means if the fish come and are infected, or sick that the seller will work with the buyer to make them well and if they die the seller will replace them. The buyers responsibilty is to notify the seller immediately upon receipt of the sick fish, to follow all of the sellers instructions to make the fish well and to do all required maintenance (water changes and cleaning) the fish require. The seller is not responsible for the fish if they arrived healthy. I realize this is simplistic.
From what I read, some people selling fish don't seem to want the responsibility of replacing sick or dead fish, even if the problem was not clearly caused by the buyer. Statements are made to the effect, they only paid $30, what do buyers expect. If I spend $200 to $300 (8 fish plus shipping) on anything I expect it to be of good quality unless I am told otherwise prior to the sale. I expect this even if I'm getting a great price. If a seller wants to sell lower quality fish or sick fish at a discount, that fact should be clearly stated prior to the sale so there are no misunderstandings. An emailed bill of sale prior to the sale with the conditions of sale could be a good business practice to protect buyers and sellers and settle disputes at a later date. A seller saying that the buyer should have known the fish weren't great just because the price was cheap, in my opinion, is not a valid argument.
Regarding pictures
My goal is a nice selection of different color Discus for my show tank. I don't care for some of the specific strains of solid color or striated Discus. Because of the inconsitency in naming Discus, without a picture, for example, I don't know if what a seller is calling a spotted leopard is really what I want. That being said, I don't expect a picture of the actual fish I am getting. I want a representative picture of the type and color of fish you are sending. I realize most of the fish are younger and don't have their full color and the actual fish might not turn out as you expected. I expect a best guess of what you expect the Discus to be. The pictures will show me that we are on the same page as to both of our expectations for the fish.
My question is are my expectations unreasonable? If so, what do sellers expect from buyers?
Thank you. I think that when both sides spell out their expectations, it avoids misunderstandings.
Mark Neigut