Exchange Them!

I had a customer come into the store today wanting to exchange out his fish as they had died.
Only...he didn't have the receipt...or the dead fish.
Because apparently 'someone' told him that he could return the fish if he provided a picture as proof.

Which...isn't our policy.
Our policy is that we have to have physical proof -aka the dead body brought to us- along with the receipt in order to return the fish and do an exchange.

Of course.
Usually I do make exceptions to this policy. Mostly because it's usually in the name of 'keep the customer happy'

But yah...the customer wasn't happy at all that I was telling him that a picture wasn't enough 'proof' of death. 

He was like "But it's only like a $2 fish! You're not going to exchange it for that! I spent $80 in your store yesterday!! That's a lot of money!"

....Why do people think we care how much money they spent here? Because I certainly don't. It's not like a penny of your money goes into my pocket after all. None of us here are paid via commission. We just get our same hourly wages no matter how much customers spend in our store.

Plus the dude was under-exaggerating the price of his fish that had died.
As they were plecos.
And I don't sell any "$2" plecos. Especially not the ones in the picture.

First though I needed proof that the guy actually purchased the fish here.
So I got his number to look up his receipt.

And low and behold.
I was right.
They weren't $2 fish.
They were $10 fish.

Which it's a bit more understandable why the guy would want replacements for those fish as $10 is a bit more money than $2.

Though if he thought the fish were only $2 in the first place...I do wonder what his definition of 'inexpensive' is if he didn't realize they cost more than two bucks.

In any case.
I found the receipt.
I could tell that the fish were dead in the picture because pleocs don't generally lie on their backs.

So I went ahead and gave him the exchange.
Telling him multiple times that he needs the receipt and the fish next time. Not just a picture.

However.
The semi interesting part to his story.
Was that he said he put the fish in their bag in the tank....left them...and then when he came back like 15 minutes later...they were already dead when he opened the bag to put them in the water.

Usually death only happens that quickly if like...there's a sudden temperature change.

So I was like "How warm is your water?"

And he was telling me it was like...in the sixties...maybe he even said the fifties.

Which regardless.
Is too cold for most plecos.
As the ones we sell are usually a more warm water fish. Especially those $10 ones.

So I told him that the water may be too cold for these types of plecos...so if his replacement fish didn't make it...that he would either need to get a heater for the tank, or stick with a different pleco that can tolerate the colder temperatures.

He seemed confident it would work though as 'he had these types of plecos before' without a heater.

*exhales*
Hopefully it does work.
I don't really want to see him again.

-Sarnic Dirchi