PetCo being Sued for Poor Animal Care

[JeremyR]

One wonders how far it will go if the suit is successful, and what the trickledown effect will be. In some ways it surprises me.. many states (including here) require pet shop licenses and inspections to open your store, and yet there are still nasty cesspools all over the place that nothing is ever done about. I think the license is just to pad the wallet of the state govt.

 

[Nelliereefster]

Believe it or not WE have the power.

Only by agressively spreading the word to everyone we see, i.e. "How's it going today?, by the way, don't buy from PetCo." for example, will WE start to make a difference.

I, personally, am willing to pay more for properly aqua-cultured and cared for aquatic life. I think of it as a reward to them for doing things correctly.

Some fairly good online stores are Aquatic Warehouse of San Diego (Seen them in person) and Reeftopia.

Marine Depot are a mix of good/bad service, and average quality marine life.

Reef Tank/ Reef Store in Virginia is a mess. It is an agal cesspool, with every frag teeming with flat worms, and I'd never buy from them. I'm disgusted everytime I wonder through their store (in hopes they've cleaned up their act)

Marine Scene in Virginia is another "out for your money" store. I've often stopped to listen to the advice given by the employees to under-informed reefers, and just chuckle away. "Push products," is their motto. But, hey, it's all about the dollar, right? They do take petty good care of their fish however.

Roozens in Maryland is a reef "flea-market" that looks like they use water straight out of the tap, and have their critters cooking in a greenhouse, outrageous!!! Not to mention the lovely rudeness by which they welcome you into the store. My vote, boycott. Aiptasia, flatworms, parasites galore....... Basically a ceptic tank.

Harbour Aquatics was a "no-show" the two times I attempted to buy from them, so I cannot attest to their quality, obviously, service sucks.

DrMac really came through with some exquisite corals in a very timely fashion, offered great over-the-phone advice, and was extremely personable. The quality of his frags and his packing techniques are unrivaled. He charges a little more, but it's worth it. He always gives you person-to-person service directly. He is an eminent pro in the industry. But then, most of us already know that. I will only buy acros from him in the future.

 

[Anonymous]

Posted by aquarist = broke:

How do I know which mail-order places are not death trap type places???

You can ask right here on this board, or do a search and you will find many MO places that come highly recommended.

I always refer back to this thread Rate Your On-Line Supplier when I have a question about an on-line supplier I am not familiar with.

 

[Anonymous]

I think the license is just to pad the wallet of the state govt.

You betcha. Here they require ten year olds to have licenses to "breed" hamsters.

 

[saltcritter]

:?

to Tanzy: Off topic:

Thanks for the upbeat.

I figure if I slow down and look back at what I wrote, that helps some of the mistakes.

I could use a spell check if I could find one at these sites, but I fear switching to a spell check through my DSL becasue I might loose conection and all stuff I had composed.

I will slow down to start and then proff read my posts. That might help alot.

Best to you.


BACK TO THE PETCO!!!! & & & & PetsMart, there very close, almost twins!

You all have heard of NUKES ?

Back to the drawing board for them and there leaders, drop the bomb on them!!!!

There ALL!!!! FIRED!!! FIRED!!!!! FIRED!!!! :evil:

see'YA , there out of here!!!! :evil:

Well at least I hope. :wink:

 

[Lady Godiva]

I find it interesting that all the responsibility here is being put on the people who are spending the money.

Consider for a moment the people who are making money by supporting the Petco's of the world. By that I mean manufacturers like Kent Marine and all the others who place sell their merchandise to these places. I can find Kent Marine Kalkwasser in both my high quality LFS and at my local Petco. Kent is just as guilty for supporting Petco as any customer who goes in there and purcahses.

I think if you really want to make some noise, boycott the manufacturers who are stocking their items in these stores.

Karen

 

[saltcritter]

8O

LADY:

You might be right, but!, my local Petco & PetsMart do not carry these items.

I guess we get the cheepie Franchise owners that do not see any money in better products.

I can see your point, but all stores are not full of what you might see at your LFS and I do not think the Kent people and others are telling these slobs to treat there live stock the way they do.

It is soley!! the responcibility of the Owner/ManagerS of those stores to hire and suport our Hobby and treat all liveing creatures WITH RESPECT!.
They should start with a rule to hire ONLY people that are educated above 12th grade and have studied and passed a 100page test, about all animals and the proper care of them.

I would make a Law that convicts these Owners and or Managers of sloppy pet stores. Make it a criminal act, if they continusely do wrong and hire 1st graders to take care of the pets.

6mths minimum sentance !, cleaning up COW poop, 24/7. :wink:
Also No more pet store license, EVER!!!

I think good companies should not have to pay the price for 1st graders and Retarded Owners and Managers of these turd operations.

VOTE with your wallet, it is the only way it will work. :wink:

 

[MattM]

Consider for a moment the people who are making money by supporting the Petco's of the world. By that I mean manufacturers like Kent Marine and all the others who place sell their merchandise to these places. ...

I think if you really want to make some noise, boycott the manufacturers who are stocking their items in these stores.

In almost all cases, dry goods are sold by the manufacturer to a wholesale distributor. The wholesale distributor then sells to PetCo, and the small LFS.

So the manufacturer has no real control over who sells their products.

 

[dizzy]

In almost all cases, dry goods are sold by the manufacturer to a wholesale distributor. The wholesale distributor then sells to PetCo, and the small LFS.
So the manufacturer has no real control over who sells their products.

I'd have to disagree with this one. I was at the APPMA show recently and PetCo had plenty of buyers there meeting directly with the manufactures. They all bend over backwards to kiss PetCo's ass. They stock product for PetCo, give them very liberal product return policies, and payment terms like 90-days net or something. PetCo also makes the manufactures buy their expensive software to use while accepting orders from PetCo. PetCo also has its own trade show that the manufactures are pressured into exhibiting at and booth space is very expensive. Wholesalers are for the little guys like you and me, Matt. The major chains have more purchasing power than 99% of the wholesalers. The historical wholesale distribution system is being redefined. I'm shocked you didn't realize it.

 

[Ritteri&Bubbles]

I have to agree with Dizzy, a place like Central Pet or Royal Pet and Supplies isnt going to be selling products to places like Petco or other large chains. Large chains buy direct from the maufacturers in most cases.

 

[Lady Godiva]

So the manufacturer has no real control over who sells their products.

At this point, there is no need for a manufacturer to care whether their product is sitting on the shelves at Petco and contributing to their profit margin. Consumers are the only ones who can make them care, and that can be accomplished by making it known to companies who's product contirbute to the profitablility of Petco, that their products will not be purchased - not just at Petco, but ANYWHERE. At this point the manufacturers are in a no loose situation. The sell where ever. We as consumers need to convery that we expect them to accept THEIR roll in keeping places like Petco afloat.

My point is that when it comes to dealing with an unethical industry or retailer, there are many participants involved in making them successful. The customer, the manufacturers/suppliers of the goods, the employees, etc.. all these people play a part. It's short sighted to put the responsibility all on the consumer. That may solve the Petco problem but it doesn't solve the long term problem of preveinting Petco for existing in the first place.

If maufacturers knew that, people would not buy thier products if they support unethical retailers, they will take care in knowing what shelves their products end up on, now AND in the future. Boycotting just Petco themselves, does not stop the possibility of some other low level organization from starting up, as soon as the lease at the Petco building expires.

Karen

 

[JeremyR]

There are a few companies that don't sell to the chains OR mail order companies.. but that is more of a niche marketing strategy than a don't sell to petco cuz they kill stuff strategy.

 

[Anonymous]

I think putting the responsibility on maufacturers is passing the buck. As long as there is a pet industry, there will be places like Petco, and manufacturers will sell to them because they exist to make money.

RR

 

[flameangel1]

What I have not seen mentioned here, is that a company like Kent, can sell a truckload of something to a large franchise like Petco (and make a constant amount of income), where as the LFS can only stock maybe a dozen of the same thing (much less income and not steady contract).

If you are a big company, the larger accounts are much more important.

On another side note- the smaller LFS has to pay much more for the same product , and the consumer thinks we are ripping them off compared to the petco's retail price.

 

[wombat1]

C'mon guys, this is ridiculous. Yes, yes corporations are bad evil things that push out the little guy, etc. etc. but this is irrelevant to the care of their animals! How is it possibly Kent's fault that Petco doesn't take care of their animals???
When 3 people come in to take care of the animals every day and none of them knows what the other 2 did before them, you get problems. One day the tank gets dosed triple the amount of Ca it should and the next day it gets none. Petco here gets their fish from a pretty good wholesaler so their fish are OK when they hit the store, it's just the treatment at the store that's screwing them up. The suggestion to require only 18 year olds to take care of the animals after a test is a good one. "Dropping bombs on Petco headquarters" is not.

 

[absolutc]

I agree with a couple things. Yes it is PetCo's fault. Luckily we do not have any in VA, but we have Pets Mart - JUST AS BAD!

PetCo should be held accountable for the conditions and health of any and all life in their stores. No exceptions. I also agree with protesting against the companys that sell their products in PetCo. There are dealers in there every week at least, checking to make sure that their product is fronted, stocked, and dust free. These companies regardless of whose fault it is, should NOT tolerate such conditions. Most of them will also make claims on their packaging that they are here to strive for perfection with the health and wellbeing of our/yours/my pets. If this is true, why are you selling your product in a store that could give 2 shiznits?

IMO - I will no longer support any company that is selling their products in a store that is not capable of providing proper care to their animals. It would make me feel good to see lets say, KENT - pull all its products from PetCo. Why? Because then, I see they are making an effort to say HEY!, we don't support what your doing! This would make me more apt to purchase their product, than somone that doesn't care.

Think about it.

 

[goldenboy]

My last visit to petco was about 6 1/2 yrs ago I was 15 and had only been in the hobby for 1 1/2 yrs. Anyway I went in to pick up a marine fish atlus. I decided to take a spin aroud the tanks to see what they had and the aquatics Mgr. was trying to sell these newbies 5 coral eating nudibrachs for $20 a pop saying that they would eat hair algae. Neadless to say I was livid!!! I am usually not a very confrontational person but I couldn't help myself. I started yelling at the guy telling him that he new that they were predatory and that he was just trying to dump them off on a customer before they died. His response was that everyone has there own apinions about things and that they did eat algae. I was so mad that I tossed the 10lb. atlus into his arms, told him that I was never shopping there again and told the newbies to find another place to shop unless they wanted to waste there money. I walked out and never returned.

 

[Anonymous]

MattM-

seems i recall petco being in the news awhile back for this very same negligence issue, no?

the law should require not only shutting down the particular store for violations of cruelty laws(don't know if it presently does)but should also require any chain operation to immediately undergo inspections in all of it's chain's store operations.

it seems ludicrous that a business involved in the trade of animals can violate cruelty laws and be allowed to stay in business :evil:

fwiw-the fish supplies some have suggested to boycott probably represent a small percentage of their actual revenue-their mainstay is probably the high volume merchandise in the dog/cat food/supply area. :roll:

 

[MaryHM]

Food for thought...

If there was a "moldy" puppy or kitty that was found the outrage would ring all the way to Congress. Guarantee it. However, it was "only" a turtle or a fish so who cares??? :evil:

 

[MattM]

I'd have to disagree with this one. I was at the APPMA show recently and PetCo had plenty of buyers there meeting directly with the manufactures.

We go to these shows too, and we meet with manufacturers. We even place orders with them and get special deals, but the product fulfillment and payment is through our wholesale distrubutor.

It is true that a large chain like PetCo does buy many things direct from the manufacturer, but they also buy through distributors. In many cases simply because it is an accounting nightmare to deal with 80 different manufacturers for 4 or 5 products each instead of one distrubutor for all of it.

In the specific case of Kent Marine, I am not sure how that is handled, but based on their prices, I would guess it is through a wholesaler.

What I have not seen mentioned here, is that a company like Kent, can sell a truckload of something to a large franchise like Petco (and make a constant amount of income), where as the LFS can only stock maybe a dozen of the same thing (much less income and not steady contract).... On another side note- the smaller LFS has to pay much more for the same product , and the consumer thinks we are ripping them off compared to the petco's retail price.

FYI - Our local PetCo stocks about 15 SKUs from Kent Marine - we carry over 60. And our prices on Kent are 5-20% LESS than the local PetCo.


In any case, I agree with the recent posts - PetCo is to blame for PetCo's lack of responsible animal care, not the manufacturers. And the way to change it is in the hands of the customers - Don't shop there.