Aquarium stores in Calgary?

[Skimmer Juice]

Originally Posted by Ryan

I have had good success with Wais. I know what good livestock looks like and generally do my own research on products. I get along good with Danny because I dont do what alot of other people seem to do in there; dicker on price then walk out empty handed.

If something is priced too high I am honest and just say it's more money than I want to spend. I don't try to haggle him down on every item. I also try to buy something when I am in there.

So far he hasn't steered me wrong, I dont waste his time, he doesnt waste mine, and we have a good buyer seller relationship.

summed up pretty good here . These guys are lucky they have not felt the wrath of early 2000's Danny

[houlisam87]

After reading all these negative experience with Danny at Wai's
Have to put in my two bit opinion ,
Been customer at his store for the last 20 years , not a big spender, here and there, he always giving me helpful info and generous
Remind you, he is in to make few bucks, lots of overhead , otherwise he won't be still in business , just to cover the rent alone .
sure he dose try to sell the items is his stock, its understandable
sorry to hear some folks has bad experience in his store so as the other fish stores
SAM

[MitchM]

I'm also a long term customer of Wai's. 17 years at least.
I would be very disappointed if I went in to Daniel's store and he did NOT try to sell me something. It is something that every good store owner or employee should do.

It's very telling for someone to say that they "don't give a rat's ass" about someone's business. Good business practice is about relationships and people, not products or price.
If someone doesn't care about who they're buying from, how do they decide where to buy from?

Wouldn't it be interesting if businesses could post experiences about interactions that they've had with various customers?

Wai's is my first choice for buying.
After that it's J and L because they're Canadian and offer fast shipping, great support and prices; next would be BRS because of their very helpful video series, next would be Reefsupplies.ca, next would be Bayside Corals, after that would be other Ontario vendors simply because of what I've read online.

If/when I do buy another aquarium, I'll go to Concept first because they're local and I've heard enough good things about them.

It's ok to have disagreements with vendors and suppliers. Just don't let a small problem give you cause to cut yourself off from an otherwise very enjoyable and educational hobby.

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by Skimmer Juice

summed up pretty good here . These guys are lucky they have not felt the wrath of early 2000's Danny

Exactly! I've been dealing with him since 2008, more in the past 2 or 3 years.

I have a sales background and know what it feels like to be docked around. I don't blame him or any other vendor for being short or not wanting to waste time with people they know are tire kickers.

He helped suggest me products to get my current tank going and pointed me to a couple AF products. I will keep dealing with him and make sure to stop when I am in the city. About the only thing I'd like to see more of in there is clean up crew.

[rival10]

Always had good experiences at Wais.

[Tigweldpro]

I just wish mr.Wai would have prices posted on all the livestock and coral in his shop. I dont like to have to ask how much every fish is when I go in and always get a cranky answer.

[ReefMadness]

Originally Posted by Ryan

I know what good livestock looks like and generally do my own research on products.

this is the 100% the truth to me.
i get whats being said here but for lack of better words i have learned my lessons by being ignorant and lazy in the past. it's hard to put blame on someone trying to earn a living by suggesting products available in the store when the internet has literally thousands of product reviews and the forums as chalked full of user experiences.
warranty issues are almost across the board handled the same way these days. if your gyre stops turning, you have to send it in. if your gen 4 radion has a led fail, you have to send it in. you basically make an agreement in buying these parts that any issues (including part replacement) are required to be sent in for diagnosis by the manufacturer. it sucks but it is the way it is regardless of whether the lfs has the parts on the shelf or not.
i will say that dead fish in the stock tanks isn't always avoidable but seeing the same fish in a tank for a week would just quietly tell me not to buy fish there anymore.