# Went to PETCO - am FURIOUS



## SueK (Aug 7, 2009)

I'll try not to go there again. This was too much.:evil:

Dead, rotting betta on the shelf. Not unusual by any means, but not really ok either. I fugure I'll just say something to the manager on my way out.

The guy at the counter pages the manager, and when he doesn't get an immediate response, asks me if he can help. I tell him no, I show him the container and say this upsets some people and what to be sure your manager is aware of that.

The guy tells me the water was probably like that (dark yellow and full of pieces of decaying fish) before the fish died. I said 'then that's probably what killed him'. Maybe they shoudl be given fresh water now and then. To which he responds:

"No, you should never give bettas fresh water, it's not good for them"

I argued with him, of course, and he tells me that that fact is included in the Petco training and he can show me in thier manuals!!!

It's bad enough what they do to the fish there, but this moron is clearly telling customers not to give thier poor fish fresh water.

I suppose that's one way to ensure repeat business, ensure the pets don't live!

There's one item I buiy at Petco regulalry, I'll be looking on line for an alternate source and trying to avoid ever going in there again. I will be writing to Petco about the incident too.

Unbeleivable - the little creep even told me he has 200 gallons fo tanks at home. He should know better! When I asked if he changes his water, he said, 'of course, but I don't keep bettas' MORON!!

Thanks for letting me vent to you!

Sue

Petco - Where the pets go [to die].


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## Gav (Aug 22, 2009)

your petco sounds like the 'pets at home' in my area, i have seen regular insidents of animal cruelty and have had to refrain myself from drowning the staff in their tanks, one time I almost knocked out the manager of the aquarium department because i asked about a catfish which he told me was a clown loach even though there was a huge sticker on the tank beside it that said CLOWN LOACH and had them swimming about in it, after about 10 minutes of him repeatedly telling me it was a clown laoch i 'politely' told him to get another member of staff who identified the bumblebee catfish instantly.


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## MoneyMitch (Aug 3, 2009)

and all of this is why its better to have a go to forum just like this one for REAL info.


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## volkspider (Aug 25, 2009)

My local PetCo is awful... two or three dead fish in almost every tank. Seems to be typical for the chain. It's a shame they're so incompetent; they actually have a wide selection. Still, I'll never shop there again.


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## artgalnj (Jun 27, 2009)

My local Petco is better than my local Petsmart. My Petco has 2 younger people that work there that seem to know alot about fish, although I still don't trust their advice 100%. I stopped into Petsmart the other day to see if they had a high range ph test kit (of course they didn't). I took a quick look at the fish tanks and there were several dead fish and several tanks had fish that were gasping at the top. I feel so bad for these poor fish, they don't stand a chance :-(. And there was a woman buying a gold fish with her kid and I had to wonder if the goldfish was better off there or with the mom.


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## Zoo Maniac (Sep 11, 2009)

It sucks for me because those are my only petstores (Petco and Petsamart)


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## Rohland (Aug 20, 2009)

I usually go to petsmart. And its good. Have yet to seen a dead betta in a cup. Most of them are healthy. Then there is petland. Ive never bought a betta there. Sometimes there is wicked colours. Just sometimes they are super expensive!


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

DISGUSTING!!!! The petco near me is really bad too. It's like some of the bettas just get forgotten about. I've seen the skinniest bettas ever there. SICK, just sick. Well, I'm going to get a job there when I'm old enough.


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## Rohland (Aug 20, 2009)

How old do you need to be to work at a Petstore?
I want to work in the fish section lol


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## Zoo Maniac (Sep 11, 2009)

lol same and try and get free tanks and fish and spplies. lol


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## EmoJellyfish (Sep 6, 2009)

You probably have to be 16.
SUCKS!
I'll be 15 October 17th.
I don't want to wait another year.):


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## JohnnyD44 (Dec 5, 2008)

I drive by two petsmarts and 1 petco when i go to my LFS which is personally owned....about 20 minutes out of my way, but this place is great...i only go to petco for dog food.


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## nomel (Jul 20, 2009)

I've seen tank there with nearly 70% ich coverage on EVERY fish. Others with 4 dead fish per tank. I stopped going there LONG ago. Every single time I would get a fish from Petco or PetSmart, I would lose it or disease my entire tank.


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## volkspider (Aug 25, 2009)

doggyhog said:


> DISGUSTING!!!! The petco near me is really bad too. It's like some of the bettas just get forgotten about. I've seen the skinniest bettas ever there. SICK, just sick. Well, I'm going to get a job there when I'm old enough.


Why would you do anything to support or endorse a place that treats its fish so badly? Get a job at a _good_ fish store.


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## JohnnyD44 (Dec 5, 2008)

yeah, i'm wondering that myself....so many other places for a fish lover to get a job


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## Herky (Apr 23, 2009)

I have a petco and a petsmart about an hour away from me and I go there occasionally. My lfs store is only 10 min away, and they beat out everything else on price and quality. The only dead fish I've ever seen there is in the 15 cent goldfish tank. The petsmart near me is actually pretty good. The aquarium section smells, but most of the fish appear to be fairly healthy, and they have a good selection too, but I have yet to be brave enough to buy any. Petco is an altogether different place. It's like a fish torture chamber from the bowels of hell. The staff know NOTHING about fishkeeping. The tanks are always absolutely filthy and caked with algae. Dead fish in almost every tank every time. Injured and sick fish, diseases...aggressive fish in with nonaggressive fish. It really is terrible. I almost started a saltwater tank because of these three stripe damselfish they had in a tank...they were such beautiful little fish, but they were in the filthiest water I've ever seen, I don't know how they were still alive...and there was another fish in the tank (can't remember what it was, not familiar with too many saltwater species) that they shouldn't have been in with...this fish was pounding the living crap out of them every chance it got. The poor things had chunks missing out of them....they were clearly suffering badly. I normally keep my mouth shut and don't try to stir up trouble but I went to the lady who was in the fish section and ripped her a new one. Her response? "Oh yeah, those ones fight in that tank." Then she turned back around and continued stocking the shelves. She had nothing to say about how filthy everything was, just shrugged like it was no big deal. There was also a tank with african cichlids in it that had 5 or so rotten, decaying fish floating all over in it that had been there for quite some time...absolutely disgusting. I will never, ever go to petco for anything ever again. It really made me literally sick. I just wanted to punch someone in the face for that going on there. There's no excuse for that. People who mistreat animals are scum.


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## Calmwaters (Sep 2, 2009)

The Petsmart here is much different than what you guys have experianced most of the people I have dealt with in there fish section really know there stuff I go in there on a regualar basis on my lunch break to pass time and they are always cleaning the tanks and they do not keep the Bettas in the small cups they actually have them in small tanks that are hooked in to there filteration system. I have almost never seen dead fish in the tanks. I have only had one problem with a new girl (maybe 16 years old) she tried to put about 10 fish a friend of mine was purchaseing for his 2 20 gallon tanks into one little bitty bag (think sandwich bag but longer) and when I told her that was unacceptable she rolled her eyes at me so I went and talked to the manager about her and she went over and repremanded her while I was there. Now there is another store here called Petsupermarket and there tanks are clean most of the time which amazes me because all of the workers I have meet there are totally clueless.:roll:


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## xrayjeeper83 (Sep 6, 2009)

My local petco isnt that bad, may have a dead fish or two but nothing like yall are talking about. But my LFS is much closer and much much better then any chain.


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## SueK (Aug 7, 2009)

Hi All,

I hope you'll forgive the lapse, but I've quoted you in an email to Petco without properly attributing your comments to your on-line names. Somehow, not having real names to quote amde it fell awkward.

Anyway, I thought I should share it with you. It's much nicer than I'd like to be, but that's sometimes necessary to keep people's attention - the sugar and sh*t thing. Here it is:

Hi Carrah,

Thank you for your actions regarding this incident. I am encouraged by the prompt, specific response. I would honestly hate to stop shopping at Petco, as I appreciate Petco's commitment to supporting local pet adoption agencies, as well as your wide selection of products.

This is not the first time I've been upset by your fish department, though. Luckily, this was largely about what customers at that location are being told, whereas the last incident was more about the volume of dead and dying fish (different location), no doubt making me more sensitive this time. 

I did post the incident on line and would like to share with you some of the comments I recieved in turn:
_"DISGUSTING!!!! The petco near me is really bad too. It's like some of the bettas just get forgotten about. I've seen the skinniest bettas ever there." - PA_​_"I've seen tank there with nearly 70% ich coverage on EVERY fish. Others with 4 dead fish per tank. I stopped going there LONG ago. " - no location info_​_"Petco is an altogether different place. It's like a fish torture chamber from the bowels of hell. The staff know NOTHING about fishkeeping. The tanks are always absolutely filthy and caked with algae. Dead fish in almost every tank every time. Injured and sick fish, diseases...aggressive fish in with nonaggressive fish. It really is terrible. I almost started a saltwater tank because of these three stripe damselfish they had in a tank...they were such beautiful little fish, but they were in the filthiest water I've ever seen, I don't know how they were still alive...and there was another fish in the tank (can't remember what it was, not familiar with too many saltwater species) that they shouldn't have been in with...this fish was pounding the living crap out of them every chance it got. The poor things had chunks missing out of them....they were clearly suffering badly. I normally keep my mouth shut and don't try to stir up trouble but I went to the lady who was in the fish section and ripped her a new one. Her response? "Oh yeah, those ones fight in that tank." Then she turned back around and continued stocking the shelves." - _Asheville, NC

_"My local PetCo is awful... two or three dead fish in almost every tank. Seems to be typical for the chain. It's a shame they're so incompetent; they actually have a wide selection. Still, I'll never shop there again." - no location provided_​Carrah, I'm sure you realize that fishkeeping is a big hobby. Petco is clearly not taking full advantage of the opportunity in this segment of the store, literally turning away the very customers that are likely to spend the most there. I hope you'll pass this back up the chain of command. More concern in this area could translate into a larger customer base, stronger sales, and a lower loss rate. All good for Petco.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my concern. I hope Petco chooses to focus on this area for improvement in the near future.

Regards,
Sue

----- Original Message -----
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 2:44:55 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Your PETCO Inquiry # 1489501

Letters Dear Ms. Kisiel, 

Thank you for contacting PETCO regarding your concern with our store at 1694 BOSTON ROAD. We are sorry to hear about your recent experience.

It is our goal to provide fundamental pet-related information to every associate regardless of the title they hold or what they do in our store. All our associates are encouraged to enhance their knowledge of animal care by reading numerous books and magazines they have access to as PETCO associates. We encourage participation in seminars and additional training to fuel their passion and expertise on pets and their care. All of our associates go through an intensive training program during their initial 90 days of employment with PETCO, regardless of the professional experience an associate may have when they join our team.
I have shared your concern with the General Manager of this location and can assure you that they will be addressed with the complaint you raised.
Please know that we care about our customers and what they think of us. By letting us know when we fall short of your expectations, we have the opportunity to address your concerns and to be better prepared to meet your expectations in the future. If we can be of any further assistance, please feel free to reply to this email or call PETCO Customer Relations directly at 1-888-824-PALS (7257). Thank you again for contacting PETCO.

Sincerely, 

Carrah R.
Customer Relations Coordinator 

At PETCO, Animals Always Come First... Our People Make it Happen! 


I doubt this will do any good, but if enough people complain........

Thanks for all your support! 

Sue


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## Calmwaters (Sep 2, 2009)

Look at it this way at least you got a response and at least you tried to make a difference.


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## SueK (Aug 7, 2009)

Amanda,

Thanks, I guess that's all one can do. right?

Who knows, if they get thisoften enough, maybe they will change thier ways?

Sue


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## Ramenuzumaki (Sep 12, 2009)

its stuff like this that makes me wish Walmart and PetCo and stuff would hire people for SPECIFIC jobs. Not to sound conceded or anything but im pretty sure they would have a lot less fish loss if i worked there. I would take proper care of the fish and make sure they are healthy. You go to the walmart here in the fish section and there is ich in the majority of the tanks and the tanks are bare and so many dead fish are in the tanks. if i wouldnt have to work in 8 different sections around the GIANT store id work there in the fish section alone but they suck and make you work like 8 different sections, and the people who run the fish section dont care about fish so they are never there. it makes me wonder if they even get fed!

i might go look around sometime this week. I want to see if we have a petco and i wanna look around. I think we have a PetSmart im not sure if that has fish or animals though. the other stores we have here in my city are pretty good. I havent been to AquaZoo in years so i cant say much about them, but Aj's Fins and Berry's Your Pet Choice are pretty good. ive actually got an application on my desk for berry's lol

EDIT:
i probably made a mistake by only reading a few posts before posting. if the issue is solved im really sorry for bringing it back up again D:


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## fighttest (Jun 25, 2009)

My petsmart is actually really good I regularly see them doing maintenance on the tanks. Almost every time I go in they are either feeding the fish gravel vacuuming/doing water changes or removing sick or dead fish (which isn’t often). Granted they only have a 25-foot fish wall so it’s fairly small. Literally every time I go in though there is one employee that asks me how my fish are doing and iv regularly discussed fish with her and she knows allot. They only have one small tank of plants and don’t get them in very often but I feel like if I asked they would get a specific species plant in for me. I also plan on working there when I turn 18 and have actually talked to this girl about it and it seems like its for sure ill get a job. She told me to look up and do research on fish and reptiles since ill be applying for pet care associate.


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## Ramenuzumaki (Sep 12, 2009)

id love to do petcare *swoon* but all i could find around here is a sales associate [cashier] but hey i still get to look at the pretty fishies through my shift!!!

petsmart has animals?! how did i never notice. i should check it out ;D


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## fighttest (Jun 25, 2009)

yeah at my petsmart they have fish,birds,lizards,not sure about mice or other rodents but im pretty sure other petsmart places have them. they dont have dogs but they do an adoption service through the local humane society and someone from the humane society comes in everyday and takes care of them.


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## fighttest (Jun 25, 2009)

i went to lowes to look for some play sand for my 55 gallon today after school and i saw a mouse running around


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## Herky (Apr 23, 2009)

SueK said:


> _- _Asheville, NC



Living in Iowa, it would be pretty hard for me to shop in NC. The store in question was in Sioux Falls, SD.

Too late now, but the wrong store is going to get chewed out (maybe).

Oh well..Petco still sucks.


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## Memo (Jul 2, 2009)

I live in a small town in nebraska... we do not have a petsmart, or a petco, or any other large chain. We have 2 small local stores and Walmart. My horror story comes from Wally world. I went in because I needed to replace a neon tetra. They didn't have any but I looked around anyway. (can't help myself) The goldfish tank was the worst. It had no less than 5 dozen dead fish. There were so many that at least a dozen were stuck to each filter. There were more dead fish than there were living. So I complained to someone working there, who let me know it was the day crews job to get rid of dead fish. I was so mad I went straight home and emailed Walmart. That was over a week ago now, and they haven't responded. I wish I could boycott the whole store. Being in a small town there aren't many options. The closest city larger than we are is 4 hours away.


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