DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS
an important message to
What is it about difficult customers? It's a CONTROL thing. Some people have their own way and arbitrary rules that works for them which they wanna impose on MY store. I'm sure everyone has perfectly valid experiences and perspectives but let's just point out one key fact that difficult customers tend to dismiss: My Store. My rules.
I'm a no-nonsense seller and have zero tolerance for difficult people. I prefer things done decisively and efficiently with only the minimal requisite questions asked. Generally most buyers are pleasant and easy to deal with. Why complicate a process that is so simple? Once I post the photos and videos: you select the fish, I provide a summary cost, you pay for it then I schedule a shipment. #NoHassleNoDrama.
I can tell which transactions will be difficult just by the amount of time it takes to process. Too many questions and excessive demands complicate the sale. Most information is already addressed on the purchase guidelines and I will ALWAYS redirect you back to the website if your questions are already answered here. For beginner goldfishkeepers whose purchasing decision is contingent on me answering 100 questions first - bear in mind I'm just 1 person with only 24 hours in a day juggling all the work. I don't do one-on-one training sessions on how to keep goldfish or respond to beginner's setup inquiries. #GoogleIsYourFriend
Unfortunately, multiple occasions in the past with some inexperienced fishkeepers, inconsiderate power-tripping customers, Tire Kickers and people who 'want something for nothing' have proven to be the most impossible to deal with just because they didn't get their way. I'm not just a vendor, I'm a HUMAN BEING. Like you, I'm a goldfish hobbyist intensely passionate about what I do. Regarding the notion that I'm selling goldfish for the incredible High Rate of $ Return: That's unrealistic. NO ONE can retire on breeding and selling goldfish. If I were raking in substantial revenue with ECR, any excess funds would go towards hiring Call Center agents with superhuman pain thresholds trained to handle Difficult Customers.
WHY THESE PAGES
As for power tripping maniacs : Thank you for gracing this page with your presence. You're wasting your time calling the shots in MY STORE. I don't work for you. Get over yourself. I know you're worried that if I lose out on your $50 it might incapacitate me and leave my family destitute. Rest assured I live a comfortable life and ECR is NOT my means of livelihood. Every single $ that comes in from ECR sales goes back to the hobby and improving the quality of life I provide for these fish. It pays for their food, utilities, meds & equipment upgrades. In other words, this is a zero-profit business venture with incredibly high operation costs and I gain nothing by bending over backwards for power-tripping nuisance customers. ECR is a lot of work and it's a thankless job that I enjoy immensely. I'm doing it because I love goldfish. Plain and simple.
Here's the thing: if I react to you negatively - it's possible this is a consequence of how you're dealing with me. You'll notice the way I do business I follow a rigid system. Within my facility I maintain a strict adherence to rules and protocol. I never waiver from that approach but I strive to be flexible when I deem it necessary. Once you set the tone of the transaction where you feel your money gives you license to treat me with disrespect -- I can and WILL exercise my right not to do business with you. So if you're one of those people with a penchant for treating vendors like dogs or used to screaming profanities at customer service reps or just need a servant because you're too lazy to look things up yourself - please let's not waste each other's time. This is where I draw the line. I don't want your business if you're going to be abusive, dismissive and condescending or if you're going to ignore my store policies. Undoubtedly, the veil of the internet makes it easy to go on a power trip, and forego compassion, kindness and basic decency but I can only put up with so much online abuse and entitlement.
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Let me set the expectation here and now: East Coast Ranchu is an online source for homebred, preloved goldfish - THAT'S IT and THAT'S ALL. Once you complete a purchase, it's the only time I'll provide crucial advise & assistance related to REAL and ACTUAL ISSUES concerning sick fish (Click Here). You'll also receive full access to the Care History Information on your goldfish as reference to my care regimen.
For some, this isn't the ideal scope of Customer Service you expect & demand. I challenge anyone to duplicate what I've done with East Coast Ranchu, pour your heart into it then let's compare notes in 5 years and see how much your flexibility changes. Keep in mind it's THE FISH you'll be giving a home to, not me. These are very meticulously-cared-for goldfish that I'm intensely devoted to & they will be packaged for shipment with great care so they get to you safely. I'll be there for you just a phone call or an email away if there are any issues moving forward. If this isn't good enough & you don't like my style, there are of course many other goldfish sources online with fish that need a loving home.
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As a final note - to Low Ballers who constantly ask for a discount or a freebie, constantly complain about the price: if I raised a hobby grade fish from egg, changed its water 2x everyday, fed it high end pellets, frozen bloodworms and freshly hatched baby brine shrimp, gave it preventive medication, kept it warm during the cold season, kept it cool in the summer, took its photos and videos, start selling at 6 months (180 days) and sold it for $59.95, prepare its package then drive 21 miles to FedEx -- that means I'm charging you 30 cents for every day that I carefully reared and loved that fish. Let's not forget the fees I have to pay PayPal, the cost of packaging, my gas and yes let's consider my TIME, not just the effort and resources I utilized to keep the fish healthy and alive. That's right. I spend thousands of dollars on my setup; I put hundreds of hours into raising and caring for them but I sell the goldfish for a fraction of the cost I've invested. If you think it should cost even less please go away and insult someone else. Seriously.
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Thus far I've been dealing with nuisance customers since 2012. I added this page in early 2016. It took that long to finally throw up my hands and say ENOUGH. In the beginning I was naïve to believe that any person who loves animals must have a good heart and so therefore I expected a certain level of humanity. Sadly I've been let down so many times. I've learned that when a monetary transaction comprises a living creature -- some people just lose their sense of rationality. This is a store. With Store Policies. Am I suppose to feel bad when someone is unhappy with my policies? You CHOSE to shop here. I won't always understand all the choices that people make but let me put this out there: I work long hours in my fishroom, I don't mess around. Just because you're "offended" by the way I operate ECR - it doesn't disqualify me from being treated with dignity and consideration. I can refuse to sell you goldfish if you waste my time. I can refuse to sell you goldfish if you're being duplicitous. I can refuse to do business with you if you're being difficult. I make no apologies. I'm not going to feel bad about an entitled, egocentric fault-finding customer.
If you're still reading upto this point I have an idea you're trying to understand my process. I work in the multimedia industry where dynamics are different. I cater to a lot of demanding clients in tech and film production but they choose to do business with my company because we've built a good reputation and have a proven track record. There's pride in the work we produce. My crew are some of the most talented hardworking people I've ever met. The difference is that even with so many diverse personalities - the corporate environment compels people to conduct themselves in a civilized, structured manner even in the most high-pressured situations because at the end of the day it's all about a common goal : the success of a project. The online buy & sell arena however is contrasting - it's unrestrained, unpredictable, there's no structure, and people can get destructive even when information is provided for them to succeed in the hobby. I never foresaw the amount of difficult people I will encounter when I started East Coast Ranchu. I'm done putting up with that entitlement mindset and dysfunction.
I try my best to find a balance and connect with fellow hobbyists who come here. You'll probably never see pages like this in any other online store. It's unheard of. And yes my store policies are unyielding. But I'm just trying to be real. If you follow my social media accounts you'd get a sense of my true nature: I'm just a regular person, usually easygoing, have a silly sense of humor. Sure I get intense, I cuss, and get impatient with insipid questions - but I'm only human, not perfect. When I'm in work mode I can be blunt and say things that others might lack the courage to say. To some people who can't relate - this comes off as caustic. Understand that on a daily basis I manage a multimedia staff, vendors and clients - there's not a lot of room for subtlety and weakness.
I want to hold onto everything good I love about this hobby while I still can. To do this I have to disengage, stay impersonal and impose restrictions as a deterrent to needless abusive behavior. Outside of ECR -- I just want things to be normal, so I can live the life around me and not have to overthink or overanalyze buyers who make things difficult.
It's not about making profit. If it was - there would be no need for these pages which I'm strongly aware negatively impacts ECR.
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