Ordered Similis, Received Multis, Need Advice.

[Jelimafish]

Almost 2 months ago I ordered the last 4 Similis and received them and they were Similis, a little smaller then described but beautiful healthy fish. I have been scouring the internet to find some more and then I finally found some. I ordered 4 more last Wednesday, they shipped Thursday, and arrived Friday before I had to leave for business. (I almost ordered 12 because I know there are other local hobbyists that are looking for Similis) When I opened the box (packaged very nicely) I instantly saw that they were Multis. I then had a big dilemma since the "3/4" Unsexed Similis" listing turned out to be 1.5"+ sexually mature Multis. I threw up a divider and emailed the vendor and got on my plane. I was hoping that I was wrong and that when they were no longer stressed I would see striping past the gill plate however my wife sent me a photo a day later and they are in fact Multis so I emailed the vendor and received the response that he was on a long weekend and had spotty service but to send a photo. I work customer service so I am never rude or disrespectful and I sent the photo. Later Saturday I sent another photo that was better quality and received no response. Today I had my Wife email the seller to inquire about purchasing fish and not even 30 minutes later the vendor responded. I then sent another email asking for an update and have not received one. I would have never paid the insane shipping for a fish that I can buy locally and I cannot place them with the Similis in the same aquarium. I have heard that Similis and Multis will breed and I do not want any hybrid fry although my actual Similis still have a few months before they would be able to breed. I now have a seller who obviously is receiving my emails and is ignoring me. What is my best course of action? These are not the fish I ordered and I cannot place them with the ones I already have so when I return tomorrow I have 4 fish that I overpaid for that I do not really want. Should I contact my bank? Should I continue to contact the vendor? Is there any recourse that I can take? At what point do I try to mitigate my losses? I have included a few photos below.

2 of my first 4 known Simils:

2 of the Fish that arrived Friday:

 

[jonclark96]

Any phone number available for the vendor? It is harder to avoid a phone call than an email.

 

[Jelimafish]

Any phone number available for the vendor? It is harder to avoid a phone call than an email.

Wow I have been so busy I did not even think about this! There is a phone number so I guess I will call first thing tomorrow and then take it from there. THANK YOU!

 

[Becca]

If you used PayPal you can dispute, same goes for credit card.

 

[Jelimafish]

If you used PayPal you can dispute, same goes for credit card.

Yea I paid through CC so I am going to call in the AM and if I get the run around or no response I will call my bank. They don't even have Multis listed on their site but the size difference is huge. I really wanted to think it was just a mistake as I checked reviews before ordering but the eager response to a potential sale vs the lack of response for an issue has me really concerned. They were shipped and packaged with care so I was hoping it was just an error but the more time that passes without a response the more concerned I get. It also does not help that I really have no where to put them even if a refund was offered. If I had a spare tank ready I would not mind keeping Multis but I feel like I ordered a golden retriever and got a black lab.

 

[Becca]

Yea I paid through CC so I am going to call in the AM and if I get the run around or no response I will call my bank. They don't even have Multis listed on their site but the size difference is huge. I really wanted to think it was just a mistake as I checked reviews before ordering but the eager response to a potential sale vs the lack of response for an issue has me really concerned. They were shipped and packaged with care so I was hoping it was just an error but the more time that passes without a response the more concerned I get. It also does not help that I really have no where to put them even if a refund was offered. If I had a spare tank ready I would not mind keeping Multis but I feel like I ordered a golden retriever and got a black lab.

Any hints as to which vendor this is?

 

[Jelimafish]

Any hints as to which vendor this is?

I really wanted to wait and see how this was handled before putting this out there but considering: I placed an order on Wednesday, the package shipped Thursday, and arrived Friday Morning. I immediately contacted the seller and Saturday got the response that he was out of town with spotty reception and he requested I send a photo and he would be in touch followed by silence. I called this morning and left a message and at 8:30am I got an email stating "Sorry, just getting back in the office today. I will look at the ones here and see if I did happen to get them in as the wrong species or if they were not the correct species picked for you.". Since then I have heard nothing so I might as well just say that it is http://www.quinnsfins.com/ . Prior to purchasing all responses were within 30 minutes and since it is days in between. I always want to give the benefit of the doubt but sending someone the incorrect fish should be a priority for any seller and the lack of communication is the most frustrating thing of all. I am now stuck caring for fish that I do not really want, cannot place with my other fish, and it is just a mess. I plan on calling again first thing tomorrow and if I still do not get a good response I will let my bank deal with it. I really hate the thought of going that route but if you claim to specialize in African Cichlids and cannot tell the difference between Similis and Multis before shipping them out there is a problem. There is also a problem when you eagerly respond to potential sales but dismiss legitimate issues. I will update everyone tomorrow and hopefully this situation gets worked out without me needing to dispute the charges. I was really hoping I would get a response explaining what happened, offering a solution, and moving on but it is already past that point. Sorry for the 10 page essay but between flying for business on Friday, Work, Kids, Wife, Home Renovations, etc. having 10 minutes to sit and vent has been extremely helpful. Thanks for listening to me complain!

 

[chriscoli]

I'm sorry you've had a frustrating time. I often see the two species mis-labeled, so I'm always wary. I agree that they look like multis. Simlis has stripes forward of the gill plate, multis don't. At the end of the day, once it's all resolved, if your'e still stuck with multis, there are lots of folks here that keep colonies and often want more fish. You won't have trouble re-homing them.

 

[Jelimafish]

Thanks, I know I will be able to find them a good home (Although the more I look at them 1 seems to have a line right at the gill plate and another has a super faint line over the gill plate so for all I know these are a mix between Similis and Multis which will make re homing them slightly more difficult. I may just set up a 10 gallon with a few shells and see what happens long term. I will try to post photos later but if they are hybrids they will need to always be separated from the Similis that I know are F1s) and it is not even the "mistake" that has me frustrated, it is the complete lack of communication that has me unnerved. If I had sent the photo and he acknowledged there was obviously a mistake or even apologized I would have been disappointed but understanding. I have received 2 responses and neither of which have provided me with any information or options on how we should proceed yet when I had my Wife email him inquiring about purchasing fish he somehow was able to respond within 30 minutes. If I was at least being updated once a day or had some time frame of when I could expect a response I would be okay but that is just not happening. I would have never paid $12.00 a fish plus $40.00 shipping to get 4 Multis and even if I was just refunded the shipping costs I still would not be thrilled but I would accept it as the cost of doing business online. It is not even simply the money it is the time and energy that I have had to spend and will continue to have to spend through no fault of my own. I guess I did learn a valuable lesson which will save me money down the road.

 

[Jelimafish]

Well it has been a week since I placed the order and 5 days since I received the fish and without any real response I contacted my bank and will let them handle it, unfortunately I was getting no where on my own. I really do not feel good about doing this but I really was left no options. I am going to try to get some good photos of each fish later and maybe someone can help me determine if they are Multis or possibly a hybrid between the two. The size/shape/striping screams Multi however 1 looks similar to a similis, 1 looks like a multi with an extra faint stripe, and 2 look like Multis.

 

[DiscusnAfricans]

I'm curious to see how fast you get a response once he gets contacted about the disputed transaction. There's never a good excuse for poor customer service, people can be busy, but even simple replies of "I'm looking into it and will get back to you" will go a long way towards making customers happier. Its a shame how things went down, and I'm sure its frustrating how the situation has played out, but it happens more regularly when we have very little options besides ordering online. The good companies will stay around, and the bad companies will eventually disappear if these situations are addressed or isolated incidents. Good luck in the continued search, but I'm glad you're being diligent about keeping everything separate until you know how everything shapes up.

 

[Jelimafish]

You are absolutely right, any response at all would have put me at ease. Tuesday Morning he stated he was going to check what happened and then nothing. You would think that a situation like this would be a priority but I guess it all depends on the seller. I contacted the bank last night so we will see what happens but so far still no additional responses. It was interesting trying to explain the situation to a bank representative with no knowledge of fish. So far the bank has temporarily refunded the money and they are supposed to update me if/when they contact the seller. I cannot say enough good things about www.livefishdirect.com but then again I saw good reviews for Quinnsfinns although I looked closer and the majority of good reviews were from 3-5 years ago. I am going to grab a spare 10 gallon today and place the 4 fish in that just to observe them a bit and see what happens. I really need to post some better photos later since two really do look like a mix between Multis and Similis so who knows what happened. My guess would be that Multis were placed with Similis or Similis were place with Multis and it went unnoticed and these fish are the result but who knows. I did check and they still list Similis as "in stock" and "About 3/4" currently" but since I received almost fully grown Simultious Fish I really just want to know what the heck happened. An apology and an explanation would have gone a long way but I do not see that coming anytime soon. I guess for now I will just look after the little abominations until I know more.

 

[Jelimafish]

Okay so here are the photos of each fish.

#1 (A very faint stripe actually goes over the Gill Plate)

#2 (This one is the closest to the Similis I have seen but the shape and striping is off)

#3 (Much more of a Multi then the others)

#4 (Not quite sure on this one - please excuse the Micro Worms, they were not eating but they did swim around and gobble up the Micro Worms)

 

[CSnyder00]

I’m not sure what they are. Did you ever get a resolution?

 

[Jelimafish]

I’m not sure what they are. Did you ever get a resolution?

I disputed the charges with the bank and they provided a temporary credit but I have not heard anything from the seller or the bank since. I am giving them a call tomorrow because I would really like to get rid of these fish but I need to know if I have to send them back or if I can just find someone to take them. I was able to buy 4 more real Similis from livefishdirect so I have 8 Similis to start a nice little colony. As soon as I have the final resolution I will be sure to post it.
In the meantime here are some photos of the 8 Legit Similis I have

 

[JLW]

The two species are very, very similar, and its an understandable mistake for a vendor to make. Being busy, you get the fish from a wholesaler or breeder, they look the part, and you never take (or have) the time to verify that they are the correct species. It's happened to me, and it's happened to every single fish vendor out there.

When it happens, you say, "Oh, shoot! (or another, shorter word). I just looked at the tank, and you're right. They are the wrong species. I am so sorry! I'm going to send you a refund on these guys, and update my list with the remaining ones. I hope you can either find a home for them or keep them yourself."

It happens. I've had to send out that e-mail.

It sucks, but such is the business.

 

[Jelimafish]

The two species are very, very similar, and its an understandable mistake for a vendor to make. Being busy, you get the fish from a wholesaler or breeder, they look the part, and you never take (or have) the time to verify that they are the correct species. It's happened to me, and it's happened to every single fish vendor out there.

When it happens, you say, "Oh, shoot! (or another, shorter word). I just looked at the tank, and you're right. They are the wrong species. I am so sorry! I'm going to send you a refund on these guys, and update my list with the remaining ones. I hope you can either find a home for them or keep them yourself."

It happens. I've had to send out that e-mail.

It sucks, but such is the business.

I completely agree that mistakes happen and I would have been super happy with a response like the one you wrote above, I would have been happy with any attempt to resolve the issue however I never got one. I was super disappointed but not mad at all. When I sent an email "The fish arrived today packaged great and healthy however they are not Similis they are Multis - their striping stops at their Gill Plate and does not extend over. Not quite sure where to go from here as I cannot house them with my Similis so I made a divider and now I am just wondering what to do from here." and got the response "Can you send me a picture of them? I am sorry if I don't respond quickly, I will, i am off for a long weekend amd will only have intermittent cell signal." which was perfectly fine. It was after I sent the photo and heard nothing that I started to get worried. A day later I had my Wife email inquiring about fish to purchase and the seller responded within 30 minutes. I still gave the benefit of the doubt but after 4 days I sent another email asking for an update and a day later I received "Sorry, just getting back in the office today. I will look at the ones here and see if I did happen to get them in as the wrong species or if they were not the correct species picked for you." followed by nothing. I attempted to call and email 2 more times with absolutely no response. It was at that point that I had no choice but to contact the bank which was really the last thing I wanted to do.

 

[Jelimafish]

I wish I would have purchased them from a seller such as yourself but I definitely learned a valuable lesson.

 

[JLW]

Hopefully the seller can learn something, too.

 

[stany]

Stuff happens but if you are a seller in this business you have to be correct or make up for your mistakes. It's why I am very cautious of online vendors. I admit I use some at times for the easy livestock but with an all male tank buying guaranteed males under 2" can be a crap shoot. I'm holding off any new buys until the next Big Fish Deal to add to my tank so I see what I get.