Will PetSmart process this return on live fish? Neon Tetra died; only purchased two hours ago?

Question

I bought a neon tetra and a guppy to go in my community tank with five neons and two existing guppies. The woman at PetSmart netted them terribly, then put them in a little plastic square container filled halfway with water. She then DUMPED them into the plastic bag (like a waiter would pour water into a glass) and spun them around to tie the bag up. When she wrote the numbers of the kinds of fish I got on the bag, she was extremely rough and when she handed me the bag she practically tossed it into my hands. I was appalled at this and the neon seemed to be floating around in shock but regained a tiny bit of strength on the way home before his death. I know it was not my fault because I purchased these fish not even two hours ago, I cover the bag and hold it to keep it steady on the car ride home, and I am very familiar with acclimating the fish as I have five Betta fish and two community tanks. Now, when I removed the deceased neon tetra from the community tank, I would normally place the fish in a plastic bag to be returned to the store. However, this time I accidentally dropped him down the garbage disposal. I did pay in cash, but I have the receipt and the bag and everything else. I am reluctant to go back to this PetSmart to purchase another fish, and I wish to go to another nearby PetSmart where I know them and they do things a lot better. Would they be able to process the return if 
A. It's a different location 
B. I have no body, but the receipt and bag?

Thanks!

Calypso · Accepted Answer

You should be fine, but I would advise asking to speak to a manager right away.  The regular cashiers have strict rules they have to adhere to, so they might not be able to help you.

Keep your cool, explain the story, and explain why you did not wish to return to that same petsmart.  (because you saw how the fish was handled when you purchased it, so you are not convinced that the fish are well cared for in general by the employees)

It is going to be WAY easier for the manager to just refund you or replace the fish then to get into some sort of dispute about a small purchase.

I think the manager is going to be smart enough to know you are not going to go through all this trouble for one inexpensive fish without a real reason.  Ask the manager how you can file some sort of complaint to corporate (their head office) about the poor training that the employees at "Petsmart at XYZ address" have regarding to care for the fish.  Thank the manager (before he or she even helps you) for helping you out - that will make the manager feel more obligated to help you.  After the manager is helpful be sure to thank him or her again and let them know that you would like to also let corporate know how HELPFUL and WONDERFUL they have been (people like getting brownie points ya know!)

Good luck, it makes me sad that someone would be so callous treating little fishies.

Anonym · Answer

Forget it and let it go. Don't return to Petco to buy another fish ever again. The majority of those staff/store employees know or care very little to nothing about aquatic fish, plants and other water creatures. They just work there for a small paycheck and that's all there is to it. Next time go there and ask them about the nitrogen cycle and I can bet they'll  know nothing about it.

Choose a local fish store to go to, not some big chain store who not only specialize in fish but also mammals, birds and reptiles, etc.

I never buy my fish at Walmart, Petco or Petsmart. They buy them really cheap from careless breeding farm that care nothing about fish but the astronomical amount of money they make off of them. They inbreed so many fish that it's not funny. Most of their fish are from bad strain and many will die within their first year, and that's a fact.

Amber · Answer

No, I don't think they'll take it if you don't have the body. After all, you could just have brought the bag and receipt. They have rules they have to follow, after all.

I my experience, the people at the store (I'll use my butterfly pleco as an example) they fill the little container either 1/2 or 2/3 of the way full. Then, they'll use a tiny net and chase the fish around for a while before finally catch it (or in the case of the pleco, take all of the decorations out, poke around in the gravel, scape the corners of the tank, finally find the fish, chase it for a while, take a step back and look kind of frustrated while the fish dissapeared yet again, then finally net it, get it in the plastic thing, take it over to the counter, dump all of the water into the little plastic bag, scape the fish off from the square container, take the bag over to the oxygen area, fill it up, pop the bag, pour the fish into a different bag, scrape the pleco off yet again, fill the bag up one more time, then wrap a rubber band around the bag, and give it to me.

Anyway, I don't really think they'll accept the return without the body. That's like trying to return an appliance without the appliance.

Will PetSmart process this return on live fish? Neon Tetra died; only purchased two hours ago?

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